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iASSACHUSETTS 
89 t <~ 



Institute of Technology, 



Boston, Mass. 



Department 



Civil Engineering. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

RESEIVEB 

DEC 10 1901 



BOSTON : 

Press of H. G. Collins, 15 Milton Place. 

1S92. 




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mi 



OFFICERS OF INSTRUCTION 

In Civil Engineering. 



George F. Swain, S. B., Hayward Professor of Civil Engineering. 

Alfred E. Burton, S. B., Associate Professor of Topographical 
Engineering. 

C. Frank Allen, S. B., Associate Professor of Railroad Engineer- 
ing. 

Dwight Porter, Ph. B., Associate Professor of Hydraulic Engi- 
neering. 

Arthur G. Robbins, S. B., Instructor in Topographical Engi- 
neering. 

James H. Stanwood, S. B., Instructor in Civil Engineering. 

Fred. E. Foss, S. B., Instructor in Highway Engineering. 

N. R. Pratt, Assistant in Topographical Engineering. 

J. P. Lyon, S. B., Assistant in Railroad Engineering. 

M. S. Pope, S. B., Assistant in Hydraulic Engineering. 



Gaetano Lanza, C. E., Professor of Theoretical and Applied 
Mechanics. 

Jerome Sondericker, C. E., Assistant Professor of Applied Me- 
chanics. 

Allyne L. Merrill, S. B., Assistant Professor of Mechanism. 

Edward F. Miller, S. B., Assistant Professor of Steam Engineer- 
ing. 

George W. Blodgett, S. B., Lecturer on the Application of 
Electricity to Railway Working. 

John R. Freeman, S. B., Lecturer on the Hydraulics of Fire Pro- 
tection and on Fireproof Construction. 



OFFICERS OF INSTRUCTION 

In Other Related Departments. 



John D. Runkle, Ph. D., LL. D., Walker Professor of Mathematics. 

George A. Osborne, S. B., Professor of Mathematics. 

Robert H. Richards, S. B., Professor of Mining and Metallurgy. 

■Wm. H. Niles, Ph. B., A. M., Professor of Geology and Geography. 

Charles R. Cross, S. B., Thayer Professor of Physics. 

Wm. T. Sedgwick, Ph. D., Professor of Biology. 

Silas W. Holman, S. B., Associate Professor of Physics. 

Webster Wells, S. B., Associate Professor of Mathematics. 

Wm. O. Crosby, S. B., Assistant Professor of Mineralogy and 
Lithology. 

Linus Faunce, S. B., Assistant Professor of Drawing. 

Dana P. Bartlett, S. B., Assistant Professor of Mathematics. 



ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS OF THE 
INSTITUTE. 



President ...... Francis A. Walker. 

Secretary H. W. Tyler. 

Bursar ...... Albert M. Knight. 






THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING. 

Six years ago, in recognition of the tendency toward specializa- 
tion, which is so marked in all branches of engineering, the course 
in Civil Engineering at the Institute was rearranged and essentially 
modified by the introduction of options in the fourth year. As 
important changes in the course and extensive additions to the 
equipment of the department have since been made, it seems now 
proper to publish a detailed statement of the progress and present 
condition of the department and of its means and methods of 
instruction. 

The educated engineer, whatever branch of the profession he 
may follow, is constantly called upon to make application of the 
principles of mathematics, mechanics, and physics, of the laws gov- 
erning the stability of structures, the resistance of materials, or the 
flow of water, in dealing with problems involving the develop- 
ment of natural resources, the construction or improvement of 
channels of transportation, or the maintenance of the public health. 
These subjects must, therefore, be included in any sound cqurse of 
instruction in Engineering. But the rapid development of the 
technical sciences and the specialization of the various departments 
of Civil Engineering have so enlarged its field as to make it 
impossible, in any course of four years, to cover adequately and 
thoroughly all branches of the profession, and have rendered it desir- 
able that the student should be allowed some freedom of choice as to 
the particular line of work to be pursued in the application of these 
general principles. To meet this requirement, three options are 
offered to the students in the fourth year : first, one in which more 
attention than usual is devoted to Hydraulic and Sanitary Engineer- 
ing ; second, one in which particular attention is given to Railroad 
Engineering and Management ; and, third, one in which special 
attention is given to Geodesy. The first of these options may be 
regarded as a general course in Civil Engineering, since it includes 
in the third year a considerable amount of instruction in railroad 
engineering, and in the fourth year a brief and elementary course in 
geodesy and astronomy. This option, therefore, besides being 
suitable for students intending to engage in hydraulic or sanitary 
engineering, is particularly adapted to those who wish to make their 
course as general as possible, either with the intention of continu- 



ing their studies after graduation, or from inability to decide which 
branch of the profession they wish ultimately to pursue; the 
second option is designed for students who desire to engage in the 
location, construction, or management of railroads ; while the third 
is designed for students who wish to engage in State or government 
surveys, or who may desire to pursue advanced astronomical or 
mathematical work after graduation. 

It must not be supposed, however, that any of these options fits 
a student only for the special line of work peculiar to it. On the 
contrary, the course is arranged on such a broad basis, and the 
training gained in the different studies is such, that a graduate in any 
option is qualified to engage in work in either of the other lines, 
although, of course, to less advantage, at first, tha'n in his chosen 
branch. 

Attention should here be called to the fact that since the intro- 
duction of these options into Course I., the rapid development of 
sanitary engineering, and the closer relations which have come to 
exist between the sanitary engineer, the chemist, and the biologist, 
have led to the adoption of a specific course in Sanitary Engineer- 
ing (Course XI.) in which certain purely engineering studies of 
Course I. are replaced by work in Chemistry and Biology. As a 
special circular has been issued relating to this course, it is suffi- 
cient to say here that it is designed for students who have deter- 
mined, from the beginning, not to engage in railroad, bridge, or 
geodetic work, but who desire to devote themselves to problems 
involving the health of communities, such as sewerage and 
water supply. 

The following is the 



SCHEDULE OF THE COURSE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING, 

(the first term being the same as in all the other courses of the Institute.) 

FIRST YEAR. 



FIRST TERM. 


SECOND TERM. 


Algebra. 

Solid Geometry. 


Plane and Spherical Trigonometry. 


General Chemistry. 


General Chemistry. 


Qualitative Analysis. 


Chemical Laboratory. 


Mechanical Drawing; Descriptive Geometry. 


Mechanical and Freehand Drawing. 


Freehand Drawing. 


Rhetoric and English Composition. 


Political History since 1815. 


French. 


French. 


Military Drill. 


Military Drill. 



SECOND YEAR. 



FIRST TERM. 


SECOND TERM. 


Surveying; Chain, Compass, and Transit. 
Plotting from Notes. 


Surveying and Drawing; Level, Pocket In- 
struments, and Solar Compass. 


Topographical Drawing. 


Differential Calculus. 


Analytic Geometry. 


Physics. 


Physics. 


Physical Geography. 


Descriptive Geometry. 


Mechanism. 


Elements of Astronomy. 


English Literature and Composition. 


American History. 


German. 


English Literature. 




German. 





THIRD YEAR. 



FIRST TERM. 


SECOND TERM. 


Railroad and Highway Engineering. 
Railroad Field Work and Drawing. 


Railroad and Highway Engineering. 
Railroad Field Work and Drawing. 


Stereotomy. 


Theory of Structures. 


Surveying; Stadia and Sextant. 
Integral Calculus. 
Mechanics: General Statics. 


Surveying : Plane Table. 


Applied Mechanics : Strength of Materials. 


Physical Laboratory. 


Physics: Heat. 


Historical Geology. 


Physical Laboratory. 


German. 


Structural Geology. 


Political Economy and Industrial History. 


German. 


Business Law. 


Political Economy. 




Business Law. 





FOURTH YEAR. 



FIRST TERM. 



OPTION I. 

Theory of Structures. 

Bridges and Roofs. 

Hydraulics 

Strength of Materials. 

Sanitary and Hydraulic En- 
gineering. 

Hydraulic Field Work. 

Elements of Practical Astron- 
omy. 

Metallurgy of Iron. 

Bridge Design. 

Elements of Dynamo Ma- 
chinery. 



Theory of Structures. 
Bridges and Roofs. 
Hydraulics. 
Strength of Materials. 
Railroad Engineering. 
Railroad Management. 
Railroad Signals. 
Metallurgy of Iron. 
Bridge Design. 
Elements of Dynamo Ma- 
chinery. 



Theory of Structures. 
Bridges and Roofs. 
Hydraulics. 
Strength of Materials. 
Geodesy and Astronomy. 
Method of Least Squares. 
Hydraulic Field Work. 
Physical Laboratory. 



SECOND TERM. 



OPTION I. 


OPTION 2. 


OPTION 3. 


Theory of Structures. 


Theory of Structures. 


Theory of Structures. 


Bridges and Roofs. 


Bridges and Roofs. 


Bridges and Roofs. 


Thesis Work. 


Thesis Work. 


Thesis Work. 


Hydraulic Engineering. 


Railroad Engineering. 


Hydraulic Engineering. 


Sanitary Science and the 


Building Construction. 


Geodesy. 


Public Health. 


Railroad and Bridge Design. 


Differential Equations. 


Sanitary and Bridge Design. 


Engineering Laboratory. 


Field Work and Laboratory. 


Engineering Laboratory. 


Machinery and Motors. 




Elements of Geodesy. 






Machinery and Motors. 







The instruction is given by lectures and recitations, practice in 
the field, and exercises in the drawing room. The constant aim 
is not only to make the student thoroughly familiar with the 
principles on which all sound engineering must be based, but to 
illustrate the application of those principles in such detail that he 
may clearly appreciate their use, and their relation to practical 
work. While it is recognized that most matters of mere practical 
detail are best and most quickly learned through experience 
in actual work, and while it is believed that the particular 
province of a higher school of engineering is to develop in the 
mind of the student first of all a clear perception and a proper 
appreciation of what may be called the theoretical side of 
engineering, yet it is deemed equally essential that the practical 
application of these principles shall be so clearly pointed out and 
so frequently illustrated and enforced that the student shall be 
able to make intelligent and prompt use of his knowledge 
whenever occasion arises. It is believed that only by teaching 
theory and practice together can proper results be obtained, and 
the student be made clearly to see their connection. In many 
cases (as in bridges) the study of details affords the best possible 
opportunity for the application of principles, and much time is 
therefore devoted to it; and in each branch of instruction it is 
sought to acquaint the student with matters of fact and of detail 
to an extent sufficient to enable him to enter at once upon the 
practice of his profession, and to render him capable of filling 
any position that would be offered to one just completing a 
four years' course. 

In accordance with these ideas, much time is devoted to Design, 
and the student is allowed to carry out his own ideas whenever 
practicable, and encouraged to devise his own solutions to problems 
proposed. The designs of the student are afterwards criticised, 
and errors or possible improvements pointed out. 

Excursions are made to such engineering works in the vicinity as 
may illustrate or lend interest to the work in hand ; and by the study 
and comparison of executed works, in addition to the training in 
design, the student becomes acquainted, as far as the time will allow, 
with the practice of the day. 

In class-room work mere lecturing is avoided where practicable. 
Text-books are used so far as they are available, and in many cases 



printed or lithographed notes have been prepared by the instructors, 
specially adapted to the needs of their classes. The students are 
thus largely relieved of the necessity of taking notes in the class- 
room. 

In surveying field work the classes are divided into small par- 
ties of from two to five students, and an instructor is assigned to 
each party. The work is thus carried out under careful supervision, 
and without loss of time. In order to secure further economy of 
time, each class devotes an entire day in each week to field work, 
during favorable weather. 

The work in the drawing room is, as far as possible, original, and, 
except in the first year and in topographical drawing, there is no 
drawing for practice in manual execution alone. Every drawing 
made by the student is either a plan of a survey made by the clasps, 
the solution of some problem, or the drawing of some design made 
by himself. He therefore learns how to execute and what to exe- 
cute at the same time, after having acquired, in the first year, the 
principles of drawing and the use of the instruments. 

In arranging the course, one object in view has been to give 
the student as broad and liberal a training and to lead him to as 
many points of view as may be consistent with due compactness 
and thoroughness. To this end, general studies, in composition, 
history, literature, political economy, and business law, extend 
through the first three years of the course. Further, in addition to 
the main professional subjects, briefer courses are offered in allied 
branches of science, and in cognate professional subjects not strictly 
within the option chosen. Such, for instance, are the courses in 
physical geography and geology in the second and third year ; in 
the elements of astronomy and geodesy, and in sanitary science, in 
the fourth year. Care is taken to impress upon the students the 
fact that, like other professional men, the civil engineer, in order to 
attain success, must be broad and not narrow, that he must be able 
to write and to speak correctly, and that an active interest in 
questions of the day and a knowledge of political economy and 
of sciences outside of his strictly professional work may be of 
the greatest value to him ; while, on the other hand, a habit of 
writing or speaking carelessly, or from a narrow point of view, 
may impede or limit his progress, notwithstanding great profes- 
sional ability. 



10 
SURVEYING AND TOPOGRAPHY. 

The work in these branches extends through the second and 
third years, and is followed by Geodesy in the fourth year. 
During the second year one day per week throughout the year 
is devoted to field work and drawing, together with class-room 
exercises. Great stress is laid on the early acquirement of rapid 
and accurate habits in the use of instruments and the keeping 
of neat field notes ; and for this purpose the classes are divided, 
for work in the field, into small divisions, so that each student 
shall be constantly engaged, and shall have practice in all the manip- 
ulations. The field work comprises the use of the chain, com- 
pass, transit, level, clinometer, hand level, aneroid barometer, 
solar compass, and the solar attachment to the transit ; the adjust- 
ments of these various instruments ; the astronomical determination 
of the meridian ; levelling for profiles and contours ; and practice in 
surveying without instruments. By dividing a large class into a num- 
ber of sections, and assigning each to a separate portion of the work, 
problems of considerable interest and magnitude are sometimes 
undertaken. So far as possible, fresh problems are given each 
year. The results of the field work are plotted in the drawing 
room, and the student is instructed in the methods of computing 
areas, latitudes, and departures ; in the various problems involved 
in land, city, and underground surveying, and in the methods used 
in the public land surveys of the United States. 

The field work of the third year includes the use of the stadia, 
sextant, and plane table, and the operations involved in topographi- 
cal and hydrographical surveying. 

The department possesses a large and constantly increasing 
equipment, in which almost all the principal instrument makers 
are represented. 

TOPOGRAPHICAL DRAWING 

is taught in the second and third years. In the second year the 
student is made familiar with the various conventional signs and 
methods of representing topography, the standards used being those 
of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. In the third 
year this knowledge is applied in making a map of a railroad 
location. 



11 

GEODESY. 

Students taking the general option receive, in the first term of the 
fourth year, a short course in Practical Astronomy, embracing an 
elementary discussion of the methods of determining latitude, longi- 
tude, time, and azimuth, together with the theory of the usual astro- 
nomical instruments. This is followed, in the second term, by a 
brief course in Geodesy, embracing a discussion of the figure of 
the earth, and of the methods of measuring base lines and of 
carrying on a geodetic survey. 

Students in the geodetic option pursue these subjects in much 
greater detail, taking also the course in Least Squares. 

SUMMER COURSE IN GEODESY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND GEOLOGY. 

In the early part of the vacation following the third year, 
students in Civil Engineering have the privilege of attending a 
summer course, which offers about four weeks of continuous field 
practice, thus affording more extended training in this direction than 
it is possible to give during the school year. Students taking the 
geodetic option are required to attend this course, but it is also 
open to all civil engineering students who have completed the third 
year, and to any other students who are properly qualified. 

The object of this course is to furnish the special field training 
essential for students desiring to enter the government surveys, or 
to engage in extended topographical work of a similar nature. It 
is not attempted to complete any particular piece of work, but to 
instruct the student, by actual practice, in the various steps incident 
to the progress of a complete geodetic survey, such as the measure- 
ment of a base line, the methods of erecting signals, the proper 
selection of stations, the extending of a system of triangulation, 
and the filling in of details. 

Practice in topographical surveying by different methods occu- 
pies a considerable portion of the time, and emphasis is laid upon 
the economical adaptation of methods and instruments to different 
scales of topographical work. The plane table, the transit and 
stadia, the aneroid barometer, and pocket instruments of various 
kinds are used and compared, and attention is paid to the freehand 
sketching of contours, for the purpose of bringing out special geo- 
logical features. 



12 

Hydraulic field work constitutes an important part of the work of 
the summer course, and consists in measuring the flow of some 
stream of considerable size, using various methods and instruments, 
including floats and current-meters of several kinds. The results 
of the observations are plotted and the computations of discharge 
worked out by the students during their fourth year. In this way, 
previous classes have measured the flow of the Connecticut River 
at South Deerfield, Mass., of the Schoharie Creek at Schoharie, 
N. Y., and of the Delaware River at Water Gap, Penn. 

Field work in geology, and in the study and interpretation of 
topographical features, constitutes another important part of the 
summer course. The class-room study of geology often fails 
to prepare for intelligent field work, and the aim of this por- 
tion of the course is to enable students to acquire cor- 
rect perceptions through their own examination of natural 
features. The detailed study of several simple types of surface 
leads to the study of a diversified district, which the student is 
taught to analyze into the topographical elements of which it is 
composed, and to examine with reference to its geological 
structure, thus ascertaining to what extent and in what ways the 
superficial topography reveals the internal or concealed structure 
of hills and other features. By carrying on this work hand in 
hand with the topographical surveying, the student gains an 
insight into the true significance of the surface features which 
the topographer has to represent. 



RAILROAD ENGINEERING. 

This subject is taught in the third year to all students in the 
department, while in the fourth year advanced courses are given to 
students choosing the second or railroad option. 

The class-room work in the third year comprises a series of sixty 
exercises, and treats of the survey, location, construction, and 
equipment of railroads. It includes the topics of reconnaissance, 
preliminary work, location, curves and turnouts, the calculation and 
measurement of earthwork, the setting of slope stakes, the theory of 
easement curves, the construction of culverts, trestles, and masonry, 
and the subject of track, comprising ballast, ties, rails, frogs, 
switches, crossings, turn-tables, etc. 



13 

The students are thoroughly drilled in the mathematical work 
involved in the subjects of curves, turnouts, spirals, and earthwork, 
and are taught the use and construction of earthwork diagrams of 
various kinds. 

In addition to the work in the class-room, the students make 
each year the reconnaissance, preliminary, and location surveys for 
a railroad two or three miles in length, upon such ground as may 
best illustrate the problems occurring in practice. Field practice is 
also given in a variety of problems involved in running in curves 
and spirals, and in setting slope stakes. In order to carry on this 
work without waste of time, one entire day in each week is devoted 
to field work, in the fall and spring, while the weather permits. In 
the drawing room, maps and profiles of the railroad survey are 
prepared by the students, who are instructed in the methods of using 
the map and contours to fit the line properly to the ground. Addi- 
tional practice in this direction is also given by furnishing the 
students with lithographed contour maps of a certain district, upon 
which they are required to locate a suitable line connecting two 
given points. 

The advanced courses given in the fourth year comprise one on 
Railroad Engineering and one on Railroad Management, together 
with lectures on Railroad Signals. The course in Railroad Engineer- 
ing, which includes three exercises a week during the entire year, 
treats with considerable detail of the economics of location, that is, 
of the effects of grades, curves, and length upon the cost of opera- 
tion, and the resulting principles which should be borne in mind 
in determining location. It farther deals with the subjects of 
train resistance, brakes, rolling stock, motive power, signals, yards, 
stations, tunnels, steep inclines, and street railways of various kinds. 
The work in the drawing room consists of the preparation of designs, 
such as for a station yard or a water tank, or in working up the 
results of tests on brakes or on train resistance. Particular atten- 
tion is given in this course to the arrangement of tracks at stations, 
a matter in regard to which great confusion of mind and much 
uneconomical practice exist among railroad men. 

The course in Railroad Management consists of thirty lectures, 
and is designed to give the student a broad, general view of the 
history of railroads and of the methods of organization, the duties 
of the different officers, and the methods of keeping railroad 



14 

accounts ; together with a discussion of " the railroad question," 1 
including the subjects of fares, freights, pooling, discrimination, the 
Interstate Commerce Law, and the governmental control of rail- 
roads. This course is general as well as technical, and is dependent 
upon the course on Political Economy, as well as upon the Railroad 
Engineering of the preceding year. 

The course in Railroad Signals has been given by Mr. George W. 
Blodgett, electrician of the Boston and Albany Railroad, and con- 
sists of six lectures, together with excursions to several points of 
interest. The students are in this course made acquainted with 
the methods of operating block signals, the construction of inter- 
locking signals and switches at junctions, crossings, and terminal 
points, and other similar matters. 

HIGHWAY ENGINEERING. 

The instruction in this branch of engineering is given mainly in 
the second term of the third year, and consists of a series of lectures 
treating of the location, construction, and maintenance of town 
and county roads, and of city streets and pavements. Students 
desiring it may also, during the fourth year, devote some time in the 
drawing room to problems connected with the subject, or to work in 
the laboratory. During the past year, for instance, a series of tests 
has been made to determine the specific gravity, porosity, and rel- 
ative durability of different kinds of paving bricks. 

Through means furnished by Col. Albert A. Pope, of Boston, an 
instructorship in this branch is maintained, and the equipment of 
the department in books and apparatus is being rapidly increased. 



DESCRIPTIVE GEOMETRY AND STEREOTOMY. 

The principles of mechanical drawing and the use of instruments 
are taught to all students in the first term of the first year. 
This is followed by a thorough course in Descriptive Geometry, 
extending to the middle of the second year. In the third year 
a course in Stereotomy, or stone cutting, is given, in which the 
principles already learned are applied to the various problems 
arising in the construction of walls, arches, abutments, wing walls, 
and other masonry structures. The remainder of the drawing 



15 

in the course, except that already referred to in describing the 
work in Surveying and Railroad Location, is given in connection 
with the instruction in Bridges, Sanitary or Hydraulic Engineering, 
or Railroad Engineering, and consists in making complete or 
sketch designs and working drawings of structures of various kinds. 

THEORY OF STRUCTURES. 

In this course, which is required of every regular student, and 
which extends from the middle of the third year to the end of 
the fourth year, the principles of the equilibrium and strength of 
the various structures met with in the practice of the civil engineer 
are discussed, and illustrated by numerous examples. It embraces 
a study of the analytical and graphical methods of determining 
the stresses and proportioning the parts of structures of wood, 
stone, and metal, such as bridges, roofs, stone and iron arches, 
piers, abutments, and retaining walls. 

BRIDGES AND ROOFS. 

Parallel with the course in the Theory of Structures is the course 
in Bridges and Roofs, which is devoted to the practical construction 
and designing of bridge and roof structures, together with a series of 
drawing-room exercises in Bridge Design, in which the student 
is required to make complete designs and working drawings of 
one or more structures of this kind. In these courses the 
student is made familiar with the different shapes of iron used 
at the present time, and with the methods of designing and 
properly proportioning connections. The plate girder is first taken 
up, and is followed by a study of framed structures of iron and 
wood, stone arches, floors and roofs for buildings, etc. The 
department is well supplied with blue prints received from the 
different bridge companies, illustrating the most recent American 
practice, and with an extended series of sheets showing European 
practice. Special efforts are made to call attention to faulty 
methods of construction, and to impress upon the student the 
importance of a sound knowledge of principles as a basis for 
good design. The student is taught the importance of carefully 
proportioning even the smallest details in such structures ; and is 



16 

shown that elaborate and precise computations of strain-sheets are to 
a large extent illusory, unless an equal degree of attention and care 
is devoted to the arrangement and proportions of each detail of 
connection. Further, continual attention is directed to the 
economical aspects of construction, and to the importance of 
economy in material, ease of manipulation in the shop, and facility 
of erection. Visits of inspection are occasionally made to impor- 
tant structures in the neighborhood, and to the shops of the Boston 
Bridge Works, where, through the courtesy of the proprietor, 
Mr. D. H. Andrews, students have an opportunity to become 
acquainted with the actual manipulation of the iron. 
This course also includes the subject of Foundations. 

HYDRAULICS AND HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING. 

This course embraces the subjects of theoretical hydraulics and 
hydrometry, and of hydrology, water supply, water power, rivers 
and canals, coast and harbor works, irrigation, pumps, and hydrau- 
lic motors. The course in Hydraulics embraces the principles of 
hydrostatics, and of the flow of water through orifices, over weirs, 
in open channels, and through pipes ; and the practical application 
of these principles is enforced by numerous examples. In Hydrom- 
etry the methods of measuring the quantity of water flowing in 
open channels or in pipes are considered. Floats and current- 
meters of different patterns have been provided for the use of the 
classes, and the students are taken in small parties to points on the 
Charles River or elsewhere, where the flow of the stream is 
measured. Occasional visits are also made to Lowell and Law- 
rence, and similar measurements made in the mill flumes. The 
subjects of rainfall and the flow of streams are specially considered 
with reference to the conditions existing in different parts of this 
country, and to their application in the study of the questions of 
water supply and irrigation. LTnder the head of water supply are 
considered the sources, purity, and necessary quantity of water, the 
methods of collecting, storing, filtering, raising, and distributing it 
for domestic purposes, with the practical details involved in such 
work. A study is also made of the control and improvement of 
rivers, the construction of locks, dams, and canals, and the utiliza- 
tion and distribution of water as a motive power. 



Under coast and harbor works are briefly considered the design 
and construction of harbors, breakwaters, and jetties, the mainte- 
nance of channels, and the protection of coasts. Under irrigation, 
the conditions existing in our Western States are specially regarded, 
and the student is made acquainted with the results of experience 
in other countries. Should the student select the subject of hydrau- 
lic design, he is required to plan in detail the arrangement of 
a water supply or sewerage system for some town, or to design 
cross-sections for a sewer, aqueduct, dam, or other similar work. 

The work of the class-room is supplemented by a series of 
exercise in the Hydraulic Laboratory, where the student becomes 
familiar with the measurement of water by weirs, orifices, nozzles, 
etc., and with the details of efficiency tests of pumps, turbines, and 
other hydraulic motors. 

SANITARY ENGINEERING. 

The instruction in this subject is given by a course of lectures, 
supplemented by work in designing. The object sought is to equip 
the student with such special knowledge as shall fit him to deal 
intelligently with certain questions relating to the health of individ- 
uals and communities, and to properly plan works of sewerage and 
drainage. A brief course in Sanitary Science, in the second term, 
affords the student some insight into the modern theories of disease, 
the biological methods employed in detecting the presence of 
disease germs, and the relations between works of water supply or 
sewerage and the health of communities. The matter of water 
supply, properly included in the practice of the sanitary engineer, 
is fully treated in connection with Hydraulic Engineering. 

Under the head of House Drainage are studied the material and 
arrangement of drain, soil, and waste pipes, and the connecting fix- 
tures, the advantages and defects of various forms of traps, results 
of experiments upon siphonage, examples of faulty plumbing, the 
modes of testing work, sanitary inspections, and the disposal of 
sewage by sub- surface irrigation. 

Under Sewerage of Cities and Towns are considered the various 
systems employed in this country and abroad for the removal of 
sewage, special methods in use for its treatment and ultimate dis- 
posal, the proportioning and construction of main, branch, and 



■ 
18 

intercepting sewers, with their appendages in the way of man-holes, 
catch-basins, flush-tanks, etc., tests of material employed, and cus- 
tom in the apportionment of cost. Attention is directed to the 
history of sanitary work and legislation, and the results effected 
through their agencies, as well as to the consideration of such 
problems as the pollution of streams and the disposal of manu- 
facturing waste. 

In connection with' the work in the drawing room, the prepa- 
ration of detailed drawings is required for some assigned 
project in house drainage, sewerage, or other sanitary work, 
accompained by such specifications and estimates of cost as the 
case may admit. 

APPLIED MECHANICS AND STRENGTH OF MATERIALS. 

The instruction in these subjects begins at the middle of the 
first term of the third year, and extends to the middle of the 
fourth year. The course includes statics, dynamics, and the 
theory of beams, shafts, and columns ; followed by a study of the 
strength and physical properties of the materials used in 
engineering, such as the various kinds of wood, stone, iron and 
steel, cement, etc. This is accompanied by exercises in the 
engineering laboratories, where each student has practice in testing 
iron, wood, and cement. 

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SUBJECTS. 

The civil engineer has frequently to do with machines of various 
kinds, such as pumping engines, locomotives, etc., and should 
possess some knowledge of machinery. A course in Mechanism is, 
therefore, given in the second year, and one in Machinery and 
Motors in the fourth year. These courses are designed to give the 
student sufficient knowledge to serve any immediate needs, and 
upon them he may base more extended studies, should his future 
work require. 

THE ENGINEERING LABORATORIES. 

The objects to be acccomplished by these laboratories are first, to 
give the students practice in such experimental work as engineers 



19 

are, in practice, called upon to perform ; second, to afford some ex- 
perience in carrying on original investigations in engineering subjects, 
with such care and accuracy as to render the results of real value 
to the engineering community ; third, by publishing, from time to 
time, the results of such investigations, to add gradually to the com- 
mon stock of knowledge. These laboratories are situated in the 
Engineering Building, where they occupy the two lower floors? 
50 x 150 feet each. They include, 

First : the laboratory for testing the strength of materials ; 

Second : the hydraulic laboratory ; 

Third : the steam laboratory. 

Of these, the first two are the only ones of which extensive use is 
made by the students in Civil Engineering, and the third need not 
be here described. 



THE LABORATORY FOR TESTING THE STRENGTH OF MATERIALS. 

This laboratory is furnished with the following apparatus: an Olsen 
testing machine of fifty thousand pounds' capacity, for determining 
tensile strength, elasticity, and compressive strength ; a testing ma- 
chine of the same capacity for determining the transverse strength and 
stiffness of beams up to twenty-five feet in length, and of framing 
joints used in practice ; machinery for the measurement of the strength 
and twist of shafting ; for testing the tensile strength of mortars and 
cements ; for testing the strength of ropes ; for testing the effect of 
repeated stresses upon the elasticity and strength of iron and steel ; 
for determining the strength and elasticity of wire ; for determining 
the deflection of parallel rods when running under different condi- 
tions ; also accessory apparatus for measuring stretch, deflection, 
and twist. Besides the above-stated apparatus, a horizontal Emery 
testing machine of 300,000 pounds' capacity is now (June, 1892) 
being constructed for this laboratory by William Sellers & Co., of 
Philadelphia. It will contain all the essential features of the 
-800,000 pounds testing machine at the Watertown arsenal, built by 
Lieut. Albert H. Emery. The new machine will be suitable for testing 
a compression specimen eighteen feet long, and a tension specimen 
twelve feet long, and will enable the department of Applied 
Mechanics to undertake and carry out a kind and amount of experi- 
mental investigation not otherwise possible, and to obtain a large 



20 

number of results of value in practical engineering work such as 
could not be obtained by means of machines of smaller capacity. 

THE HYDRAULIC LABORATORY 

has been planned to give facilities for substantially all kinds 
of experimental hydraulic work which are practicable indoors. 
It contains the following apparatus : — 

(i) A closed steel tank five feet in diameter, and twenty-seven 
feet high, connected with a standpipe ten inches in diameter, 
and over seventy feet high. The tank is arranged for openings 
or connections at eight different points, and on two different 
floors, with specially designed gates for controlling the discharge. 
Water is fed to the tank either directly from the city 
supply, or from a storage pit whence it is drawn, in such 
volume as needed, by a steam and a rotary pump. By means 
of valves and overflows on the supply pipe, the head in the 
standpipe can be maintained with great steadiness at any desired 
height. 

(2) Apparatus, in connection with the tank, for performing a 
great variety of experiments on the discharge through orifices 
and mouth-pieces, which may be free or submerged. 

(3) The main overflow pipe, over seventy feet high, arranged 
as a vertical stack of soil pipe, with numerous connections for ex- 
periments in trap siphonage. 

(4) A six-inch Swain turbine, so arranged that its efficiency can 
be tested under different heads and gate openings. This wheel 
receives water from a separate storage tank, to which water is 
supplied by a centrifugal pump. 

(5) A Pelton water motor, upon which similar tests of efficiency 
can be made. Such tests are also made upon the various pumps 
with which the laboratory is fitted. 

(6) Several weirs, with hook gauges, for measurements of the 
flow of water, either for independent tests or in connection with 
the flow through orifices, or the testing of motors. 

(7) A cylindrical steel tank of about 280 cubic feet capacity, 
which affords a direct and accurate means of measuring very con- 
siderable volumes of water, in determining the discharge coeffi- 
cients of small weirs, orifices, mouth-pieces, and nozzles. 



21 

(8) A system of pipes arranged for the insertion of diaphragms, 
branches, and other special pieces, in experiments for determining 
loss of head. These pipes may be connected either to receive the 
water from the tank under steady pressure regulated by the stand- 
pipe, or to receive a greater pressure directly from the pumps. 

The demands of the students' thesis work have led to the con- 
struction of several pieces of apparatus original in design, and 
admitting of widely varied, delicate, and valuable experiments. 
Among such apparatus may be mentioned one piece consisting of 
an adaptation of the Pitot tube to the measurement of the velocity 
at any point of a jet, for the study of variations in velocity. A 
simple modification allows accurate measurement of the shape of the 
jet, whether it be from a standard orifice, or from a mouth-piece. 

In connection with the apparatus here outlined, the laboratory 
is equipped with a variety of mercury gauges for the measurement 
of pressure, one having a specially graduated Brown & Sharpe scale 
seven feet long, with vernier attachment ; with apparatus for weigh- 
ing directly the discharge of water during experiments ; and with a 
large number of standard orifices, mouth-pieces, diaphragms, 
branches, etc., of the most accurate workmanship. Many special 
pieces of apparatus which have been used in experimental work by 
Mr. James B. Francis, Mr. John R. Freeman, and other hydraulic 
engineers, have been courteously placed at the disposal of the 
department. Through the courtesy of the makers, a 12-inch 
Hercules turbine has also been temporarily loaned to the depart- 
ment. 

The engineering laboratory also contains a foundry rattler for 
determining the relative durability of various paving materials. 

The Engineering Library, open to teachers and students, con- 
tains a good collection of engineering works, now numbering about 
3,500 volumes. New books of value are added as soon as they 
appear, and the library receives regularly over eighty technical 
periodicals. 

THESIS WORK. 

Before receiving his degree, each student is required to present 
an acceptable thesis, embodying the result of some original investi- 
gation or design, accompanied in the latter case by the necessary 



22 

computations, drawings, and estimates. The following are the 
titles of the theses presented by the class of 1892 : — 

Project for a System of Signals for the Old Colony Railroad 
between Boston and Quincy. 

Comparative Tests of the Durability and Physical Properties 
of Road Materials. 

Design for a Movable Bridge. 

Design for a Cantilever Bridge. 

Design for a Standpipe. 

Experimental Study of the Resistance of Riveted Joints to 
Bending. 

Plan for the Sewerage of a Certain District in West Roxbury. 

Experimental Study of the Effect of Notching the Ends of 
White Pine Beams. 

Plan for abolishing a Grade Crossing on the Old Colony Railroad 
at Avon, Mass. 

An Investigation of the Coefficient of Discharge of Water through 
Nozzles. 

A Project for Laying out and Subdividing a Tract of Land in 
West Newton. 

A Study of the Measurements of the Flow of Streams made 
by the U. S. Geological Survey. 

Measurements of the Size of the Jet of Water discharged from 
a Standard Orifice. 

A Discussion of Base-Line Measurements with Steel Tapes. 

A Comparative Study and Discussion of Earthwork Tables and 
Diagrams. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

030 008 441 2 



